Biden seeks another $4 billion in disaster relief ahead of Florida visit
Haisten Willis
Video Embed
President Joe Biden is going back to the well to try and get more disaster relief funding from Congress.
The White House is adding $4 billion to its request for emergency spending in the wake of the Hawaii wildfire and a hurricane that tore across the southeast. That’s on top of a previously announced $12 billion request, bringing the total to $16 billion.
SENATE CONSIDERS MOVING SPENDING BILLS FORWARD, SETTING UP FIGHT WITH HOUSE GOP
“The president has been clear that we’re going to stand with communities across the nation as they recover from disasters for as long as it takes,” a spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget told Politico. The spokesperson cited the intensity of recent disasters as the reason for the additional funding request.
The news comes as Biden brings further attention to the disasters in Hawaii and Florida. He was criticized on the Right for a perceived slow response to the Maui wildfire but has since been aggressive in visiting the locations, issuing statements, and now requesting more money.
Biden visited Hawaii last Monday and will visit the Hurricane Idalia site in Florida on Saturday. Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell has been a frequent guest in recent White House press briefings as the agency has sent teams to both areas to aid with disaster recovery.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“I did just have an opportunity to brief the president on our current response efforts for Hurricane Idalia, which, as all of you know, made landfall early this morning,” Criswell told reporters on Wednesday. “While we were in there, the president contacted Gov. [Ron] DeSantis to let him know that the federal family continues to be there to support him.”
Biden could be in for a funding fight with Congress once it returns from recess next week, and some Florida Republicans have demanded that the disaster relief be separated from money the president has requested for Ukraine military aid, both of which are currently wrapped together in a $44 billion supplemental.